Walls Tumbling Down
by kkurtenbach5
Summary: On their way to Willoughby, Charlie runs into Monroe at a bar. She had been struggling to resolve her attraction to him, and since he was no longer a despot she decided to go for it. Neither of them knew that one night in a bar would have unintended consequences. - Charloe. First Chapter has been rewritten.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So this is an adjusted world, sort of AU that's been bouncing around in my head for a few months. Technically still the same. I'm not going to spell it out for you. There is an OC that will defend the badassery of Charlie. This starts between when the bombs drop and their arrival at Willoughby. **

**A/N2: I made some edits running on more than the three hours of sleep I had yesterday. They are mostly for spelling and grammar but some minor details have probably changed. If you see any other issues with spelling and grammar please let me know. I would like to improve my writing, not just share it. :)**

_Three weeks before arriving at Willoughby..._

Charlie had gone down to the bar for a little time alone with a bottle. They were on their way to see a grandpa that she didn't remember with a mom who was catatonic. She needed to feel centered. In control. And to focus on getting her mom help.

For some reason though, her mind kept on drifting back to the overthrown despot that had let Randall into the tower, sealing his own destruction. She hadn't seen Monroe since he saved her, but his face remained close to the surface of her mind. He did save her after all. It didn't make it any less embarrassing that thinking of him made her wet.

In was minutes later that she spotted him. Her heart froze, the moment extending infinitely, as a million thoughts raced through her head. It was doubtful that Monroe had been looking for them. He wouldn't really know which way they would go, and from the way he was staring at his table it seemed like he had more important things on his mind.

From the back of her head Charlie heard a small voice in her head saying that she should go. Run back to her mom, Miles, and Aaron and just go. But it didn't stop there, telling her how embarrassing it was that she had grown wet thinking of a man who had just materialized in front of her, adding that she shouldn't do the only thing that had been bouncing around her brain. She might be a little drunk but after fantasizing about a man with whom something would be so wrong, she just couldn't help herself. She was probably just feeling alone and sad. And when he sat there looking like someone whose world had just ended, he could probably use someone too.

Monroe had nothing to go back to after all. He wouldn't mind being the body she used to warm her bed. After all, Charlie wasn't blind. She had seen the look he was giving her when she stood in front of the barrel of Strausser's gun for Danny. He was intrigued by her. He wanted her. She would be lying if she didn't say she wanted him a little bit too. And she needed someone to feel close to after Nora died and her mom went...

Well, after her mom left the tower. And Aaron was doing his best, but he just walked around looking shocked. He had been the one that had actually pushed the button. Yes, my mom had gotten him into the tower, but Aaron had been the one that actually turned the power back on. And Miles was so focused on Rachel. It's like he couldn't really give his attention anything else. She was always in the thoughts flitting around the corners of his brain. It was like tunnel vision. Really, it made sense. The death of millions of people should put someone into shock.

That didn't make it hurt less.

Downing her third shot of whiskey for the night Charlie worked up the courage to walk over to Monroe. She sat down at his table and waited. They stared at each other, dueling silently; neither knowing what do to next or entirely where this was going. She could see that pain in his eyes. Their light sapphire color shifted to shine with drunkenness and need, much like her own probably were. Wordlessly, she held out her hand.

§§§

He had noticed her when she got up from her stool at the bar. _Charlotte._ Even through his whiskey haze he recognized her. Which drink was he on? Seventh? Tenth? Twelfth? He just couldn't keep track anymore. She reclaimed his attention when Bass saw her square her shoulders; his curiosity piqued while he watched her move to his table. When she sat down he had to suppress his look of shock. He felt his eyes widen slightly but managed to keep anything else from giving his thoughts away.

They started their first silent conversation, the shutters on the windows in depths of her aquamarine eyes slowly being opened. Letting him in. Her invariable mask of the past few months was finally slipping away from her, the hardness draining from her eyes. He saw the slight glimmer first. The spark of need that had been so carefully concealed there before broke through fully. He almost couldn't believe it. There was no reason for him to believe this was actually happening. He had been aware of his fixation on her, but hadn't entertained the though that she might reciprocate. The urge to pull a self satisfied smirk was almost unbearable. He just barely managed to overcome it.

§§§

Earlier she had handed over the diamonds to pay for a room upstairs instead of going back to spend the night in an abandoned house with her family. She warned them that she might; just told them she didn't want to walk home after a night in the bar. To her surprise, they had consented immediately. She probably shouldn't have been surprised, Aaron had just looked at her blankly before nodding his head. Miles had looked at her from the chair he was sitting on by her mom's bedside but hadn't said anything, simply mirroring Aaron's actions.

After staring at her outstretched hand for several seconds, Monroe took it. His hand was warm yet unsteady, hers slightly clammy. Their fingers intertwined and his thumb feathered lightly across her palm at the base of her thumb. He let Charlie pull him to the stairs and lead him up. Her mind was focused on his movements on her plan – wondering what his fingers would do elsewhere on her body. She quivered at the thought.

They reached the top of the stairs, out of sight of anyone in the bar, and she pulled him against her body, bringing his mouth down to her. She initiated it, but he took control of the kiss. His tongue ran against the seam of her lips, she eagerly opened her mouth and let his tongue ravish her. Their tongues moved in sync as Charlie led them back to the door of her room. She took his bottom lip in her teeth and lightly bit down, making him groan. His lips captured hers again with him wearing a smile. He pushed her against the door when they got to it, and she fumbled with the key behind her back a few times before it slid home into the lock. She opened the door and they both stumbled backwards, disrupting their kiss.

The room was small, but there was a bed. Granted with the state they were in all they probably needed was a wall, but that was beyond the point.

Charlie moved to shut the door. She turned around to face Monroe. He took a step forward his body heat radiating out towards her. Charlie leaned back against the door and put her hands on his chest to steady herself. He hooked an arm around her waist and Charlie gasped as he pulled her up to him so his lips could crash into hers desperately.

She generally gave as good as she got, but she just let him invade her mouth, sliding her tongue against his. Sighing into his mouth she felt him run his tongue against the roof of her mouth and his hands... his hand seemed to be everywhere. With a practiced touch they feathered down her sides, molded over her breasts, and caressed her face. They moved to brush her hair back in an almost tender motion. He broke the kiss and stepped back to catch his breath, catching her eyes, their bottomless blue boring into hers. This isn't what she wanted. She wanted quick, hard, and dirty. He was giving her passionate. This is not what a one night stand should feel like.

Impatiently, Charlie stepped back towards him and pulled him down to her level. Then their lips met again she was the aggressor. Moving Monroe slowly back towards the bed, she kissed him hard and fast; lips roaming from his mouth to his ear and neck, nipping lightly then tracing over the stinging skin with her tongue. Roughly she pulled at his clothing, the frustrating barriers separating her fingertips from his skin. He laughed, a low raw sound, his jacket hit the floor in seconds. He unzipped her own jacket and pushed it down her shoulders. They parted briefly to pull their shirts over their respective heads. He exhaled appreciatively at the sight of her body and his hands moved to her bra. Those were different in the post-apocalyptic world they lived in, but they all generally snapped the same way. With more trouble then he would ever admit he got it off of her. He gazed at her topless figure, her smooth skin was broken by scars he knew were put there because of him. The thought niggled his brain as he ran his fingertips over her torso, pausing over each the scars that he could see briefly. She grabbed his wrist, uncomfortable with his actions, and looked at him pointedly – making sure he knew. She could see the regret in his eyes but brushed it from her mind as their lips reconnected.

Charlie took off her belt in a rush, deepened their kiss, and was unbuttoning her jeans when she felt his hands still hers. They broke apart. She looked up into his eyes and he caught her off guard, taking over for her hands and unzipping her jeans before slowly pulling them over her hips, revealing her smooth silky skin. He glanced up at her with an eyebrow raised when he realized that she wasn't wearing any underwear. She just shrugged at him. Those weren't easy to come by so she just went without. Her jeans pooled around her ankles; steadying her hands against his shoulders she lifted up each foot to help him get them off her. But when her hands moved to the button of his jeans, he pushed them away.

§§§

Damn. She looked great naked. There was absolutely nothing that Bass would rather be doing right now. He just hoped that tomorrow he would remember all of it. He had been more than half of the way through a bottle of whiskey. He took her mouth again and moved her so she was sitting on the bed. He moved down her body, feathering light kisses between her breasts. Moving lower to her stomach he started running open mouth kisses lower and lower while running his hands up her thighs, spreading them. Charlotte's breathing had started to become uneven and her hips were slowly rotating. Begging for him. The throb in his groin intensified, pulling a groan from deep in his chest.

He spoke his first words in days, breathing out softly, "God you're beautiful," right before sliding his tongue into her pussy. She was absolutely drenched and her breathing went fully erratic. She gasped slightly, but she had to have known where this had been going. Using his tongue, he slowly circled her clit and trailed his finger up her olive-skinned thigh to press into her slick folds. As he pushed one finger inside her he continued to lick and nip lightly at her clit. A second finger easily joined the first, curling to find the spot that would make her fall apart. When he found it she cried out. She was eager under Bass' touch, her fingers desperately twisted in his curls. With a groan caused by the almost unbearable throbbing of his cock he worked her faster and faster eliciting everything from moans to screams and breathy gasps. He drove her relentlessly over the edge of her first orgasm when she gasped his name. Not just his name though, at least not what she always called him. She had called him Bass.

He moved back up her body to kiss her firmly on the mouth. Then and only then did he finally let her unbutton his jeans. His cock sprung free, eager for her touch. She scooted back on the bed with him crawling up right in time with her, their lips never parting. He kicked off his pants on the way up the bed. Charlotte brushed one hand over his chest, fingertips trailing down his well toned abs before falling to his cock, tracing the veins lightly. He moaned into her mouth and grabbed her wrist. He couldn't handle it when he was so close to coming.

Bass positioned his cock at her dripping entrance. She was ready. He buried himself balls deep inside her in one stroke, pulling a moan from her and causing their kiss to break.

§§§

There was no pain as he entered her. She was ready for him. Monroe was what she had needed at that moment, and Monroe is what she got. Charlie linked her legs around his waist and snaked her arm down her body to circle her clit. Gasping and panting filled the room. His thrusts started to get erratic, and Charlie used it as a reason to roll him over on his back while he was still inside her. She could feel his cock throb inside her as she started to ride him. His hands moved to her hips, gripping with a bruising force, guiding her up and down. He felt like he was going to explode. She was moving up and down him faster and faster, riding him like she would die if she stopped. Charlie felt herself get closer and closer to her edge before she suddenly rushed over the waterfall of her orgasm crying out his name and coming around him; milking his dick. Monroe let out a brutal yell and shot himself deep inside her. Charlie knew what could happen, but at that point she didn't care. She had made no move to remove him and she had known the consequences.

She collapsed on top of him, catching her breath. He had wrapped his arms around her in another surprisingly tender gesture. They were going their separate ways in the morning, but they had now. A few minutes later, she wriggled and he released her, his cock slid out of her with a wet sound. She lay on her back next to him.

"So. What do you want to do now?" Monroe asked, looking over at her with a cocky smile. His face had lost some of the tension that she had seen on it earlier that night.

"I don't know, I'm sure we could think of something. When you're ready." She trailed her fingers lightly across his pecs and down his taut abs; the first time she hadn't gotten the chance to appreciate him as much as he had her. The only scrap of cloth on either of them was the ring of fabric hiding her brand, and they had hours before either of them needed to be anywhere.

§§§

Shortly before daybreak, Charlie slid from Monroe's arms. After a few more rounds, they had fallen exhausted into arms and sunk into blissful darkness. She had jerked awake, never being a heavy sleeper. Mostly because of Danny. Her heart squeezed painfully at the thought, but she continued to slip around the room to find her scattered belongings. After dressing silently, she stared down at Monroe's sleeping form for a few minutes, committing it to memory for lonely nights. She turned away, suddenly unable to reconcile her feelings about the man. Sparing one last look at the no doubt very hungover man in her bed Charlie softly closed the door.

She met up with Miles, Aaron, and Rachel and they continued on their way to Willoughby.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: So here's the next chapter. This will talk about Rachel's suicide attempt so trigger warning. This is basically a retelling of season 2 with a few major edits. You'll see what I mean when I get there. In other news I'm looking for someone to beta for this story, so if you're interested send me a PM.**

**World Edits: I'm extending Charlie's absence (I'm calling it lost time) to 8 months, and we will be following what I want to have happened to her. **

**I DO NOT OWN REVOLUTION.**

Bass woke slowly. The body that he had collapsed with earlier that morning was gone. His pounding head was trying to make sense of last night. For some reason he was seeing Charlotte's face when he thought back. That couldn't be right. It had to have been another woman he had wanted to be her. God knows he had done that before, and he had been drunk enough to do it again. There was no way that Miles could have been in town without him knowing.

Disbelieving what his mind was insisting Bass sat up to collect his clothing. He quickly lay back down, grimacing at the pain in his head. It wasn't Charlotte. It couldn't have been. One more whore in one more nameless bar in one more shit hole of a town. Speaking in realistic terms though, he couldn't get that drunk again. It was going to kill him. But he was already dead inside, so how much worse could his life get.

§§§

Three weeks after leaving the town with Bass in it behind, the Mathesons and Aaron approached Willoughby. It was the dead of night, and Charlie and Miles were now suspending Rachel between the two of them. She had stopped functioning completely thirty miles from here, slowing their pace to a crawl. Otherwise they could've been there at least one week earlier. Compounding on the problem, the Texas weather forced them to travel only at night and sleep during the day.

The only positive outcome had been that Aaron had snapped back to a place of functionality. He was starting to contribute, finally helping Charlie start to process what had been happening. Which was great because she had just realized that she was late. There were pluses and minuses, like the fact that she wasn't incapacitated from pain. Just to be safe she made a mental note to stop drinking for the time being. She tried to focus on the present, but her mind wandered back to that night. A warm twisting started low in her belly, she was wet in seconds. The frustrated sound she couldn't suppress drew her Aaron's gaze but he didn't pry.

The half mile went by as quickly as it could. And as they approached a man ran from the house. From the heartbroken look on his face, it had to be Grandpa.

"Rachel? Miles? What's going on..?" He trailed off as Rachel's face came fully into his view.

"Gene. She needs help." Miles' tone sounded desperate. His eyes reflected his tone. The unsure look on Grandpa's face morphed into fear. He ushered us into the house behind him. My mom was settled into what looked to be a sun room that had been modified into a doctor's office. There was a special bed in the center that had no sides. Charlie stood in the doorway not knowing what to do. Aaron grabbed her around her shoulders and steered her upstairs, correctly guessing that she was fully exhausted. They both found rooms that appeared to be empty and collapsed for the night, leaving Gene and Miles to worry over Rachel.

For the next week, their routine was set. Aaron had drunk himself into a stupor every day that previously, but was today was trying to get a job at the school. Maybe he didn't hate kids as much as he claimed to. Charlie and either Grandpa or Miles ran their household. Rachel was getting worse, maybe because Miles, or Stu Redman wasn't spending every second by her side. Charlie had been avoiding her mom. She just couldn't help holding some of what had happened against her mother. As much as she desperately willed herself to forgive her, Charlie just couldn't. Not yet. Maybe in a few months. Probably in a few months. Just not right now.

Charlie couldn't understand, musing as she washed the dishes. Her mom trying to turn the power on had killed people yes, she just didn't understand how someone who had justified turning off the power, killing the majority of people in the world, broke her. A flash of understanding shot through Charlie, it wasn't that thousands more people had died. Granted it was probably part of it, but it was _Danny. _She hoped to the center of soul that it was just that her mom had lost one of her babies, and not just because it was Danny. A wave of nausea swept through her and she ran from the kitchen outside where she emptied her stomach. Wiping her hand back across her mouth she slowly moved back indoors. She must be slightly ill, that was the second time that had happened this week.

Her mind slipping back to her mother Charlie continued to try to understand he mother's emotions. Not seeing the woman in ten years hadn't helped, but that wasn't Rachel's fault. She had been trying to protect their family. It probably wasn't just that she had lost Danny, she lost the reason that she used to justify everything that she had done. When Danny was alive, she had caused the deaths of millions of people to save her son, choosing the good of one over the good of many. But now that he was gone, everything horrible that she had done was for nothing.

Tears slipped softly down Charlie's cheeks as she finished cleaning the kitchen and made her way upstairs. She needed some good cry and a nap. Her emotions had been going haywire for a weeks, but she just chalked it up to finally getting to start to process the deaths of her family. She blindly found her way into the room she claimed as her own, not bothering to shut the door and moving to open the window. It was summer in Texas so it was incredibly hot. She slid out her jacket and her pants, the tears streaming down her face, and collapsed on her bed. Burying her head in the pillow she stifled her sobs. Nora's death was hitting her hard today, and she had thought of Danny too much not to cry. Eventually she stopped shaking, and fell asleep; dead to the world.

§§§

_The boy moved towards her. They were both fifteen, and Charlie was sick of not knowing. Ever since Maggie had come to live with them, she had been telling Charlie about sex. How to be careful, how to keep herself safe, and finding her books to tell her how to do it right. Now Charlie wanted to feel what it was like with a guy. Sure she had come by herself but had never had anything with someone else._

_Now it was their time. Awkwardly their lips met. Charlie knew she probably wasn't that great of a kisser, but he was just, bad. There was too much teeth, too much spit, and somehow his tongue seemed like it was too big. She tried to pull back from the kiss but didn't want to mess anything up. Not wanting to ruin the moment, he fumbled with her shirt. The awful kiss broke when he went to rip her shirt over her head. The books she had read hadn't exactly prepared her for this, but Maggie had told her her first time wouldn't be great. _

_When her shirt was off his mouth moved to neck, and it he was better at that then kissing. If he stuck around after this they could work on that though. She ran her hands all over his body, feeling his narrow shoulder, his slim but defined body. _

_When they parted to remove their respective jeans she was turned on. Not as much as she had ever been, but enough. Slowly, he entered her. Charlie gasped with the slight pain of stretching. She didn't feel a tear, or too much pain so she thought she was okay. The boy pulled almost all the way out of her and then pumped back in. Her body was almost done adjusting to his size, and she reflected that this would feel good if he waited a bit for her get turned on enough. _

_Impatient, Charlie snaked a hand down her body to rub her clit. He seemed to be getting close, and she needed more. He grabbed her wrist. "You don't need to do that." She looked at him like he was crazy, but went with it. He must know what he was doing. He thrust faster and faster, and then she felt her body empty as he pulled out. She looked at him, still not feeling anywhere close to coming; she closed her legs and covered herself with a blanket. He had come and started to square himself away to leave. "So, maybe if I swing back in town we can do this again." His eyes were dancing and he looked proud of himself._

_Charlie raised her eyebrows and looked him dead in the eyes. He wasn't going to finish her off. He basically used her as a human masturbatory aid. She couldn't believe it. "Just a tip: when a girl wants to be fucked, she wants to come too asshole, so don't stop her from getting herself there. Now please leave." The shocked look on his face would have been priceless if she wasn't so sexually frustrated at that moment._

§§§

Charlie woke suddenly. Her dream was less than stellar. She didn't like thinking of her first time. It wasn't good and she had worked hard after that to make sure she came after that. God, that didn't mean that all of her conquests were good, it just meant that she came most of the time. Sighing she dragged herself from her bed, redressing herself. She had to go hunt for some kind of food. With her, her mother, and Miles joining Gene's household there wasn't enough money to buy food to feed them all.

Charlie met Miles at the bottom of the stairs. He looked awful. Obviously he had been sitting all day with Rachel; Gene had just relieved him. For some reason they couldn't pull her out of her fog still. Miles had apparently hoped that magically she would just get better once they got there. That was not happening.

In fact, she seemed to be getting worse now that they were staying in one spot. They nodded at each other, the look in Miles' eyes overwhelming Charlie with guilt for not having been more invested in her mom's recovery. On her way out she stopped in her mom's room for a few minutes, getting an eyeful of a woman staring into space.

§§§

Over the next three weeks their household was suspended. Charlie hunted. Gene would see some patients intermittently. Miles sat by Rachel's bed, and would go out and drink when he wasn't there. Aaron had gotten a job as a teacher, and was incredibly grateful for something to do. The kids about as interesting as kids could be. His boss was this amazing woman named Cynthia who he admittedly had a crush on. She was married though. Her husband was awful, but they were married. Now Aaron was moving his stuff into an old house that was empty near the school. They were letting him move into it because the owners were long gone. And if he was going to have a life here he couldn't life with the Mathesons for all of it. He pushed away the guilt that threatened him at the thought of Rachel. His presence wasn't going to be the deciding factor in her recovery. That and everyone understood that he had to form a life here. He wasn't leaving forever, he just wasn't going to live with them

§§§

Charlie approached Miles carefully. He was drinking himself into the ground again. Turns out this was only a weekly occurrence now though. At least somebody was getting better in Willoughby. She wanted to ask about Bass. Her period from last month had never come, and she was due for it to start yesterday again. It was time to face the music. Taking a shuddering breath she squared her shoulders and sat next to Miles at the bar. He shot a look at her but just kept drinking. She had to shake her head at the bartender who asked if she wanted anything.

Even when she was insistent that she was just stressed she had been slightly disappointed that Bass had never come to find her. Their night together had been some of the best sex she'd ever had; with their age gap it probably wasn't the best in his, but it had been more than nothing. At least she hoped it was. It had been pretty great in her eyes.

Now that she acknowledge the existence of her child, she wanted to know more about its father. Charlie wanted had really wanted to know more about him anyways, but telling herself it was for their... their baby. Pushing the thought from her mind, she turned to Miles. "So what are you drinking about tonight?" Miles sighed and hung his head for a second. He had been holding out hope that she was there to drink and not talk. That was not his luck tonight. "Life. It's been a long life." His tongue loosened when he was drinking but his tolerance was high and he wasn't an open man.

"You'll have to be more specific about what part you're drinking about." At the look he shot her Charlie added, "You've had a really long life." Miles laughed and took another drink. Nodding he started, "Well, it started at Nora, and then went to Bass. I'm working my way through your mom now, and may go to you next."

Charlie knew she had to be delicate. He couldn't know why she wanted to know about Bass. "So Bass then. Why him?" Miles gave her a look. "He was my best friend for three decades. He isn't really a bad person, he's just hurting. I was actually the person who was more invested in the idea of a Republic. At first that is. Then Shelley died." Charlie probed gently, "Shelley?" Miles nodded and looked at her gesturing his hands while explaining, "his wife. She was pregnant – he lost her and the baby in childbirth. After that he went off the rails. He was finally willing to make the Republic with me. Maybe it would've been better if he hadn't."

Charlie nodded silently. She understood a bit more now, but still needed to know. "Where was his family? Why did he stay with you so long?" He looked down then. "He only had me. His entire family died in a car crash two years before the black out. His mom, dad, and two sisters. All gone because one man fucked up and got drunk before driving home. He lived, they all died. William, Gail, Cynthia, and Angela. All gone." Miles had stopped drinking. "He tried to kill himself after that. He loved his family. They had such a great life together. Those girls idolized him, and he was willing to do everything they asked of him. I cannot tell you how many times he went home from college on weekends because they wanted to see him. He only went into the Marine because of me. His parents never forgave me." Charlie's eyes had filled with tears. She brushed angrily at them, chalking them up to hormones. Bass sounded like he would have been an amazing father; he had apparently been an amazing brother and son.

Miles got up from where he had been sitting. "We should get back." In spite of the fact that Charlie knew Miles hated talking about his feelings on anything, he looked like he felt better about getting it off his chest. Charlie followed him out of the bar and back to their house.

§§§

The next night Charlie offered to sit with her mom. She was on high alert because she had tried to commit suicide. Miles had accidentally fallen asleep and she had gotten a hold of a knife, putting shallow cuts in her wrists. Gene had stopped the bleeding but she was still being watched closely. This meant multiple shifts a night instead of just one. So Charlie offered to take first shift.

About an hour after she heard the last person go to bed Charlie took a deep breath to steady herself. This was her last resort. If she understood her, Rachel might wake up. Or go haywire. Either was a distinct possibility at this point. Her voice wavered as she started slowly.

"Mom?" There was no response. She sighed and continued, hoping against hope that there would be an easy answer to her problem.

"I'm – I'm pregnant. And the baby is Monroe's." Still no response.

In a small voice she kept going. "I don't know what to do. I don't think that I can stay here, but where else can I go?" Charlie's voice was thick with tears. All her mom did was glance at her and close her eyes to sleep. With that Charlie's hope broke. She just wanted her logical mom back. One that would tell her what to do regardless of how much Charlie actually wanted her advice. It looked like that woman had broken though.

When Gene came to relieve her from her shift, she shook her head when he asked her if anything had happened. When she walked upstairs her heart was hurting but her head was firm. She couldn't stay there. So she would leave. Tomorrow.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: So in geography terms Willoughby going to be located near Austin, where they film. Everything else is where it should be. There is smut but it's at the waaaaay end so be excited. And remember, reviews make authors happy (they put wonderful light feelings in my heart and make me giggle like a maniac. You want that to happen, don't you?)**

**I DO NOT OWN REVOLUTION, but I do own Martha.**

Despite her best intentions, Miles figured out that she was leaving. As she walked down the porch steps, Charlie smiled sadly at her uncle. He just held out his arms and gestured for her to walk into them. They held each other for a few moments before the stepped away from each other. Charlie was holding back tears; she had been avoiding her family to preserve her resolve to leave. It wasn't crumbling. But she hurt at the thought of parting with the only people left in the world that shared her blood. Well, for now.

"So kid, where are you gonna go?" Miles' head was slightly cocked to one side. His expression said he understood, but Charlie could see pain behind his eyes. "I just… need to leave for a while. I'm not sure when I'll be back, but I'll come back when I'm ready." She smiled widely at him and they resumed their embrace.

When they pulled away from each other Miles dug around in his pocket before offering Charlie a small bag of diamonds. She shook her head and started, "I can't—" before Miles abruptly cut her off. "I'm not asking. And if you take it there's a chance I won't drink myself into the ground every night. Take your time. We'll be here when you get back." She nodded soundlessly, her tears threatening to spill. Without another word she spun and headed out of Willoughby, not knowing where she was going or what she was going to do.

§§§

The air around him was filled with screams and yells. The dull sound of fists slamming into flesh accentuated the cheers, throwing the crowd forming a ring into waves of frenzy. Toying with the man a little longer, Bass let him return to his feet before delivering the knock-out punch.

Squeezing through the outer edges of the ring, he was rewarded with another small bag of diamonds. It had been a month since he had started fighting. He didn't know if it was because he wanted the punishment or if he needed the money. It certainly wasn't because he enjoyed it. He made his way to his trailer. Generally he gambled his winnings, but he was getting low and needed a drink. Tomorrow he was leaving for Colorado to continue on the circuit. First it was a town named Springfield which had flourished in the blackout. Then it was on to New Vegas. Then it started all over.

Right now he was in what had been Belen, New Mexico. The blackout had also been good to this small town. He looked around his current trailer before climbing up into it. He relaxed into the dirty mattress, pulling the crappy whiskey from a bottle he had gotten with a portion of his winnings from its hiding place. Luckily, he was a good fighter, meaning that he managed to win most of his fights. However, his gambling addiction meant he had to keep fighting. Well, that and his crippling alcoholism. He took a swig and floated down into a world of blackness.

§§§

Charlie had sorely underestimated how miserable she would be on the road. Among her many realizations as she was heading north was that puking every morning was easier when you had a steady supply of food. And water. And a comfy place to take naps. It was almost embarrassing how soft she felt she had become in the few weeks. The small voice in the back of her head told her it had more to do with her being pregnant than with getting a comfortable bed for a few weeks.

Her mind drifted back to Maggie when she thought of her pregnancy. Maggie had been the one to give her "the talk" because her mom was gone. She had been bluntly honest of the risks, but Charlie couldn't remember all of them. Just that without the aid of medicine the risks of childbirth had adjusted back to what they had been before what had been called modern medicine. But after Maggie said this she had snorted and gone on a huge rant, talking about how actually most women would be perfectly fine. It was only high risk pregnancies that really needed anything more than a midwife. To quote her former mother figure, "98% of healthy women with normal pregnancies would be fine with no aid at all."

Charlie had been walking along the gravel road, the surface crunching under her boots. She started at dawn, knowing that she wouldn't be able to continue over the noon hour because it would be too hot. As the sun started to peak in the sky she moved from the road into the woods that had been on the right of the road. The coolness of the shade was divine. Instead of spending the entire time resting Charlie moved through the dark interior of the forest, foraging further and further into its depths. Within about fifteen minutes she came across a small stream. En route she had bagged a rabbit, so she made a small fire and skinned the small animal, quickly setting it to roast. She took the small pot from her pack and filled it with cool water from the stream. Normally she would just fill her canteen directly, but because of the baby she felt an overwhelming need to be careful. After Charlie set it in the coals to boil it she slid out of her clothing and slid into the stream. A moan escaped her as the cool water enveloped her. The aching in her feet subsided slightly, and the overwhelming heat of the air was relieved by the water.

In the ten minutes it took for the water to boil, Charlie's discomfort was assuaged. She had eaten about half of the rabbit, and wrapped the rest in a handkerchief for her dinner. The water had been moved to her canteen, which had then been put in the stream to cool it down. Since she was in the coolness of the forest she decided to push on sooner than she usually would; heading back to the road only when the wood around her got too murky to see far enough ahead for her to be comfortable.

§§§

Just before nightfall Charlie reached a small grouping of houses. The traveling of the past week had worn on her more than it had ever before. Hazarding a guess she changed her course for the last house on the left. There was a worn sign swinging by the large house that looked like at some point it may have said inn, but there was no knowing anymore.

Cautiously, Charlie knocked at the door of the Victorian style house that the paint had long since faded from. A large Hispanic woman with a flushed face opened it after a few moments. She was slightly out of breath, her curly brown hair pulling out of her bun from the days' work. "Umm… do you know where I could find a place to stay for the night?" Charlie's voice wavered slightly, and she knew that the bone-deep exhaustion was apparent in her stance. The woman's face broke out in one of the friendliest grins Charlie had ever seen. "Why of course dear. This is where all the people passing through stay. Not another place for miles." The woman followed it with a friendly chuckle before ushering her through the door.

A few minutes later Charlie found herself sitting at a large table, eating scramble eggs with cheese. It had been years since she had any decent cheese. A moan came unbidden as she took a bite of the rich gooey goodness. The woman, her name was Martha, laughed at her as she returned from the main area of the makeshift bed and breakfast. Charlie returned her grin a bit warily, having learned not to trust anyone long ago. "Okay young lady, you're going to spend the night one of the rooms upstairs. It's the second door on the right." She placed an old, heavy key on the counter next to me and moved to the stove to put a tea kettle on the wood stove. "Now remember to lock your door at night. Don't get me wrong, I would love to pretend that everything will be fine if you just leave it but in these times? Safer to just be safe."

"How much is this going to cost me?" Charlie asked, eyes glued to the last bite of eggs on her fork. "Half an ounce. For three days." Charlie's head jerked up and she fixed Martha with a questioning look. Martha wrung a dishtowel around her hands before sighing and looking back at her. "There's a caravan coming through then. They're on their way to Springfield. From there you can go wherever from there, but won't want to stay there too long. I noticed it when you walked in though. How far along are you?"

"Fourteen weeks." Charlie didn't know why she was being honest with this woman. She felt she had to though. "Has the morning sickness stopped yet?" Charlie shrugged. "Sort of? It still happens but it's not as bad. And it doesn't happen every day either." Martha nodded back at her. "That's normal. I would like to do a checkup at some point while you're here. I've been a midwife for years now. And I just want to ensure that you and your baby are healthy." Charlie was quiet for a few seconds before nodding. "Okay. I could use one of those. And I suppose that you're going to tell me to start taking it easy?" Martha chucked at that. "Yes, as a matter of fact I am. That's also why I'm sending you with a caravan. I have a soft spot for young mothers in trouble."

Charlie smiled at the woman as she was handed a large mug of tea. "You head upstairs then, you look absolutely beat." Charlie nodded and grabbed the key before standing. She swayed for a second, her head spinning; grabbing the counter to steady herself. Easily she righted herself, throwing a reassuring smile to Martha, whom now looked concerned. At three months pregnant Charlie had gotten mostly used to the dizzying effects of the slight dehydration. She simply grabbed her tea and headed up to her designated room.

§§§

Bass stirred up the logs in the fire of the grate. He had been lucky to find the small cabin he was in. It was isolated, but he made a mental note to barricade the door before he went to sleep. Didn't know who the hell could find him while he was sleeping. He had been on the road for only a few days, from the map he had found a few years ago he could tell that he was about a third of the way there. It was about a four-hundred mile trip, it was going to take him another eleven our twelve days to reach where his destination.

He laughed to himself briefly, thinking of how much he had walked since the blackout. He remembered when it was a crowning achievement to even walk a marathon. Now he was doing more than one a day. But he needed more diamonds, so he pushed himself harder and harder.

Before he lay down on the floor of the empty cabin Bass stood and stretched him whole body, reaching as high as he could. He had to be careful to stay loose while he was on the road. When he felt loose enough he collapsed into his bed roll.

Thoughts of the people he used to know started sliding through his head. All the people who were dead now. Well, all the people he thought were dead now. Miles swam through his brain, bringing an intense emotional pain. A lump formed in his throat and he blinked away the tears that formed in his eyes. Desperately he tried to think of absolutely anything else to get his mind off Miles. Unfortunately that meant his mind speed to Charlotte. Ever since that night with the faceless woman his vague fantasies of her had gained substance. Sometimes when he was drunk he could swear that he was actually with her three months ago.

He swallowed hard, the tears left but yet another reaction that he didn't want occurred. His pants tightened uncomfortably, the blanket over his groin tented slightly. His cock hardened further as the image of her riding him vigorously popped into his head. A groan tore itself from his throat, partially in frustration, partially in passion. Bass thought, "Fuck it." Deftly he unbuttoned his jeans, and shoved in a hand to grip his cock. He slid his pants down his hips just a bit, his erection springing free. Bass hissed as the confinement was suddenly relieved.

Not bothering with gentleness, Bass gripped his cock. He worked his hand up and down it, knowing how to get himself off. In his mind Charlotte had reached her hand down, placing pressure on her clit; her knuckles brushed along his shaft as she rode it.

Bass moaned, the picture in his head so real. His other hand reached down to play with his balls, his first hand working faster, harder. He imagined her coming, milking him for all he was worth. His hips lifted off the ground, thrusting into his hand. He felt the wave of his orgasm nearing. Impatiently, he continued his movements. Unexpectedly the waves crashed around him, his cock jerking as his cum shot from him.

He reached his climax faster than he usually would, the thought niggling at his mind as he grabbed a rag to wipe himself clean. In a few minutes he dropped off to sleep his constant frustration briefly relieved.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hi, So I thought I would let you know, I have this entire thing written in my head through the entirety of season 2, but it's going to take a while to get there. But what I'm saying is I probably have a few hundred thousand words in me if you guys are up to it. Also the next few chapters (and the entire story...) will be quite Charlie-centric. Bass will probs be wallowing. I don't know we haven't gotten there yet. Sorry and enjoy.**

**Also, Charlie and Bass are no longer on the same exact time line, partially because Charlie's story line is going to move more slowly than Bass' for a while.**

**And no sex this chapter. Next chapter though. Okay I think that's all.**

**I DO NOT OWN REVOLUTION, but I do own all OCs.**

Charlie woke slowly, stretching her arms over her head, back arching. For the first time in months her muscles didn't ache painfully. A smile broke over her face as she wriggled, welcoming the sensation of the soft sheets over her skin. The mattress she was on was soft. Hell, it better be at the price she was paying for it. She had been taken aback at the small fortune Martha was charging her. In the few months that she was in Willoughby, Charlie had only managed to scrounge up just over and ounce of diamonds. And that was because she had sold almost everything the had. Plus she hunted for hours, killing more than she needed to in order to sell it when she could. She never spent more than a couple diamonds at a time. And even that was purely essentials. If she hadn't been given the extra diamonds from Miles then she would probably be screwed right now. Her uncle had more than tripled her meager amount. It was more than likely the last of his money, but he wouldn't have given it to her if he wasn't sure. And Charlie had absolutely no idea where he had been keeping them or how he had kept hold of them through the tower. When she had realized how much he had actually given her she had wanted to kill him, but now she was just grateful that he had been more practical than she was about the amount of diamonds she would need.

Charlie's heart ached as she longed for her family. She had no place that she considered home now, but she wanted to be with her mom. And her uncle. And her grandpa. Even if she was being mostly ignored because of her mom's issues, it would have been better than not being around them. Than not having _anyone_. It would also be helpful to have someone actually looking out for her. Being pregnant and alone was incredibly hard for a woman in this world. And she didn't even have a place to go. Charlie just didn't want to see her family. Couldn't face them. Her mom wasn't an incredibly forgiving woman when it came to most people, so having her daughter tell her that she was pregnant with the baby of the man who had killed half of their family would not go over well.

She rolled onto her stomach, spreading her arms, savoring the feeling of the large, comfy bed. It was likely that she wouldn't have one again for months. And her ability to roll onto her stomach was going to impeded by the person growing inside of her soon. In her condition, the likelihood of finding somewhere she could stay was low; even with her hunting skills the baby was a deterrent for anyone who would take her in. Just one more mouth to feed. Suddenly fed up with the road her thoughts were running down, Charlie pushed herself up. She would fucking make it through. She had to. She was a Matheson.

She slid from the warm sheets, immediately wanting to crawl back within the softness so she wouldn't have to face her reality yet. Quickly she dressed in the clothing she had been wearing the day before, making a mental note to find a place to do laundry before she left. Her familiar leather jacket slid securely into place, Charlie glanced around, making sure she wasn't forgetting anything before leaving the room. Her eyes struck upon a mirror. One that wasn't mostly destroyed. In fact, it looked to be in near perfect condition. Curious, she wandered over to it, staring at her reflection. It wasn't often that she got to see herself. She resisted the urge to strip naked and see the different scars that peppered her body; see if the baby's presence in her body had any noticeable effects on her outward appearance yet. Being on the road, she had no time to fully comprehend what was happening to her. All she had been able to focus on was the morning sickness and the exhaustion. She could wait for her personal physical inspection until tonight.

Charlie was very careful to lock the door as she left her room. She had stashed all of her belongings in there, and she would be beyond screwed if any of them went missing. It was still very early in the morning, just after sunrise, yet Charlie wasn't surprised to find Martha in the kitchen already. She was kneading some type of dough. Charlie reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out the small packet of diamonds she had prepared for Martha before collapsing last night.

"Morning." Martha glanced up at Charlie and smiled. Charlie returned it easily as she walked over to stand opposite of Martha at the center island counter. She set the packet of diamonds away from the floury portion of the surface, but well within Martha's view. "Hon, put those in the oven." Martha didn't pull her attention away from her task. Charlie thought she was insane for about two seconds before she realized Martha meant the useless electric oven. Her face quirked with an impressed look. Charlie wouldn't have thought to look there.

When she had finished stowing her payment for Martha, Charlie turned back to where the woman had finished prepping twelve small loaves of bread. Martha moved them to pans and motioned for Charlie to take one before leading them out the door to the backyard. A large brick oven was located there, their adjustment to the Texas heat that made it impossible for anyone to cook using an indoor stove most times of the year. As it was they had to use the other wood-burning stove on a small mostly enclosed porch adjacent to the kitchen for cooking. Martha placed both pans in the oven and shut the large cast iron door so they would bake as evenly as possible. She then led Charlie to a water pump so she could wash her hands.

Martha filled one of the buckets that was sitting next to the pump and starting moving back towards the house. When she got there she filled a tea kettle and put it on the stove on the side porch. She pulled day old bread from the pantry and set it in front of Charlie. Charlie pulled off a hunk and started to nibble at it. Martha busied herself preparing some tea – it must be homemade, because there hadn't been much in the way of tea or coffee since the blackout. It all went to rich people. Before the bombs dropped Georgia had started to trade somewhere in the West Indies for sugar and coffee, but that had obviously dried up after the Patriots. Martha left the tea to steep and retrieved a large bag from the pantry. She took a few textbooks out of it, as well as a stethoscope and blood pressure cuff. "Let's have a look at you. I'm going to need your jacket off." Reluctantly, Charlie peeled the protective leather from her shoulders. It had become a security blanket of sorts. A buffer between her and the world.

An old pocket watch joined the instruments on the table. "Why do you need that? Like does it work?" Martha smiled as she nodded. "It was my Daddy's. It's one that you wind, so the blackout doesn't affect it. You gotta love clockwork." Charlie nodded. The cuff went around her arm. Vaguely she remembered doing this before, but it had been so long ago. She had been so young. Danny had had to do this hundreds of times. One of the benefits of being a sickly child. Martha and Charlie sat in a comfortable silence, working in sync.

Martha finished her examination of Charlie quickly. There were no red flags for the pregnancy, it seemed healthy. For the amount of strain the girl had put herself under it was almost a wonder. Her blood pressure was normal, her resting heart rate was low, but with how active everyone was now a days it was expected. She hadn't asked about spotting yet, but figured if Charlie had noticed it she would have said something. The hardest thing today was actually woman being regular enough to conceive to begin with. In order to get pregnant, women have to have a certain amount of fat already present on their body and generally a steady food source.

Gingerly Martha slid Charlie's tank top up the younger woman's torso, exposing her belly. She wasn't showing yet, her stomach completely flat. Nodding her head, Martha was satisfied. There wasn't really anything else she could do at this point. Just feed her and give her to Cole and Ella. Hope that they could get her somewhere safe. Those two came around regularly, bringing her mostly fresh food and canning supplies. She got to keep some of it in exchange for canning them. The pickles were the most popular with those two. Must be a genetics thing. In any case they were part of the reason that the small community survived this close to the border. The caravans that came through bringing everything from flour to livestock kept life comfortable.

Martha almost regretted sending this girl with them. They weren't overtly corrupting, but she would become a fighter. A protector. Maybe she would see her again in a few years. But she put the thoughts from her head. The girl would be here for a few more days, they would make the most of it.

"You seem healthy. Any spotting or cramping?" Charlie's head shook easily. "Okay," Martha replied, nodding, "You should probably take it easy for the next few days while you can. Otherwise you're healthy. Since you're entering the second trimester you'll probably be showing in a few weeks or so. With it being your first pregnancy it might take a little bit longer. Every pregnancy is different but I see no warning signs. As of right now, you're on your way to a healthy baby." She would almost swear that the young woman's face fell slightly. In her defense she was young, getting pregnant with no support system now was unfortunate and would make her life a lot harder in the coming years.

Charlie quickly covered her expression with a smile. While she hadn't been hoping that her baby would be unhealthy, it definitely would have uncomplicated her life. She would have just been able to go home. But a baby. She hadn't really been processing, instead moving forward. Now it was hitting her like a freight train. She was going to be a mom. About a million things raced through her head, standing in the front was that she would love her baby. And if there was every another she would love it equally. Never make one feel left out, or less important. She knew her parents had tried, but with both of them she had felt second fiddle to Danny. At least he had loved her.

Martha had moved away to give Charlie her mug of tea and prepare the breakfast for the rest of her tenants. Charlie hadn't seen anyone else go to bed, but she had crashed hard. So she had no way of knowing how many people she was sharing this home with. Not wanting to get in the way, Charlie thanked her for the exam, grabbed her jacket, and went back to her room.

Suddenly tired she stripped out and slid between the cooled sheets. She had a bed and nice sheets now. She wanted to remember the feel of them on her skin, the comfort of the bed and pillows, and how waking up with a good night's sleep felt. The sun was starting to light up the sky, adding a light tinge to the horizon. The smell of the bread baking was drifting up from the backyard through her window and a peaceful feeling started to fall over her. Slowly she drifted back to sleep.

Bass was hungry. And tired. It had been a long few days. Walking across the wilderness alone gave him too much time to think. Random people who had been in Philadelphia kept creeping into his mind. The full effects of his actions had been crashing around his mind for weeks. It came in waves. Doubt, followed by regret, the self-hatred. All accompanied by the feeling of ultimate failure. He had failed everyone. And no one could know. Everyone was calling for his head. Hell, he never thought he'd be grateful that they hadn't ever been able to get cameras going again. It was likely that the only reason he was still alive is that not everyone knew what he looked like.

God he had to find a horse. He trudged on slowly, the heat around him blending the air, twisting it into the shapes of buildings and people that he used to know. When he reached the shade of a tree that had grown reasonably close to the highway he had been walking down he flopped down unceremoniously. The grass was pretty soft, at least the part of it that wasn't dry and burned from the sun. Not that bad of a bed honestly. He would stay here until the sun went low enough to stop the atmosphere from feeling like fucking Valley of Death. The view of him from the road was virtually nil, yet he would easily be able to see anyone coming. The curse of this fucking place. Everything was so damn flat.

He relaxed. The warm air stagnant around him. Going north was probably a good idea at this point. So damn hot around here. Why the fuck had he chosen to go to Arizona? Colorado probably wouldn't be much better, but the mountains would give it some coolness. And it snowed in the winter so that was a plus. Bass smiled to himself as he thought of the global warming debate that had been so all-encompassing before was far from most people's minds now. The past decade had probably done a lot of healing to the environment. Cutting carbon dioxide emissions to zero in a day? That had to have done some good.

In about a week or so he'd be in Springfield. Fighting again. At this point he didn't know if he did it for money or some fucked up sense of needing to pay for his sins. He'd like to think it was the first thing, but it had more to do with the second than he was willing to admit to himself. He thought about his life constantly. He wasn't around people much, and when he was it was professionals. A bottle was his most constant companion, but even that got a little old sometimes.

No people had come into view while he had been lying on the ground. Probably a few hours that he had been lying there, letting his mind drift from thought to thought. Charlotte kept running through his head. He kept seeing her in his minds eye, vulnerable and needy. In his head, she wanted him. Well, she needed someone and he was there. And then his mind would fly into ridiculous sexual fantasies about the girl. Woman. Technically. It was just incredibly awkward for him that he was attracted to his best friend's niece. He couldn't really put both of those together it in his head. But at least in his head she had a great body. He had known he was attracted to her when he saw her the first time, but how graphic she was in his head was surprising even to him. And he had been fantasizing about woman just about his entire life. He shook his head. He needed to get away from his thoughts for a while.

Cautiously Bass looked around, he had to keep moving, but the thin woods he was in was by far more appealing than the road. The heat of the sun was awful, even if he didn't want to stay in one place he probably should. Instead he told himself he was looking for water and got up to leave.


End file.
